WRITTEN QUESTION E-0742/02 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Construction of a dam on the Rio Mouro (Portugal).
Date: 2002-03-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Portugal, engineering structure, environmental impact, impact study

C 205 E/208

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

(2002/C 205 E/225)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0740/02

by Fernando Fernández Martín (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 March 2002)

Subject: Côte d’Ivoire

With reference to Côte d’Ivoire, can the Commission say which projects were funded from the EU budget
in the 2000 financial year?

Can it also provide details of the total aid provided to the country under all the relevant budget headings
in 2000?

(2002/C 205 E/226)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0741/02

by Fernando Fernández Martín (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 March 2002)

Subject: Côte d’Ivoire

With reference to Côte d’Ivoire, can the Commission provide a list of the projects approved for funding
from the European Union’s budget for 2001 and give the total amount for investment in that year?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0732/02, E-0733/02, E-0734/02, E-0735/02, E-0736/02,
E-0737/02, E-0738/02, E-0739/02, E-0740/02 and E-0741/02
given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(13 May 2002)

The Commission is sending the information requested direct
Parliament’s Secretariat.

to the Honourable Member and to

(2002/C 205 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0742/02

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Construction of a dam on the Rio Mouro (Portugal)

(15 March 2002)

According to local councillors who are members of the Association of Parishes of the Vale do Mouro in
northern Portugal, it is proposed to construct a dam incorporating a 50-metre-long wall on the Mouro
river (a tributary of the Minho), which could destroy a whole ecosystem.

The scheme under attack, which emanates from the company ‘Águas do Minho e Lima’, appears to have
been promised Community funding. The local councillors argue that alternatives exist, such as river-based
collection, which would not call for a dam.

The Commission:

1. Can it confirm that the scheme for a dam on the Mouro river has been promised Community

funding?

2.

If so, can it state whether an environmental
consideration has been given to alternative solutions?

impact assessment will be carried out, and whether

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/209

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(29 April 2002)

The Portuguese authorities sent to the Commission in 1999 a request for co-financing by the Cohesion
Fund for the Minho-Lima supply and waste water treatment multi-municipal system, which provided for a
dam in the Mouro river ‘Barragem de Lamas de Mouro’ as part of one of its water supply sub-systems.

Given the fact that some subsystems had not yet been totally defined both in technical and environmental
impact assessment terms, the Commission asked the Portuguese authorities to reformulate their proposal.
As a result, some subsystems were retained in the revised request and granted funding in 2001 but not the
one including the dam. It is nevertheless possible that it may eventually be re-submitted at a later stage.

(2002/C 205 E/228)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0743/02

by Francesco Speroni (NI) to the Commission

(8 March 2002)

Subject: Discriminatory fees

Written Question E-0049/02 (1) asked whether it was fair to charge different fees based on place of
residence for the Padua marathon to be held on 28 April 2002 and mentioned the internet site where the
relevant information could be found.

In reply, Commissioner Bolkestein said that the Commission had been unable to locate the information,
perhaps because his services did not navigate further than the home page of the site in question.

The details concerning registration fees can be found by clicking on ‘Welcome’ and then on ‘Technical info’
or by going directly to the address www.maratonasant-antonio.com/eng/home/htm.

Does the Commission consider the charging of different fees to be fair and will it open infringement
proceedings in this matter given that the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and the Italian
Athletics Federation (FIDAL) are involved?

(1) OJ C 147 E, 20.6.2002.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(22 April 2002)

As stated in its answer to Written Question E-0049/02 (1), and in the light of the further information
provided by the Honourable Member, the Commission will
look into the possibility of initiating an
infringement procedures against Italy under the terms ofunder Article 226 of the EC Treaty.

The Commission has, moreover, already brought an action before the Court of Justice against Italy for a
failure to fulfil its obligations in the field of the free movement of services (Article 49 of the EC Treaty) on
account of discriminatory prices (charged for entry to certain museums) which are based not just on
nationality but also, as in the case raised by the Honourable Member, on residence.

A future ruling by the Court of Justice in this case (C-388/01) could also therefore be of importance for
situations such as that mentioned in this Written Question.

The Commission would also point out that, in accordance with Court of Justice case law, Community
nationals can invoke the principle of the free movement of services before the national courts.

(1) OJ C 147 E, 20.6.2002.